I Loved Her First
by DarkAngelsShadow
Summary: Just a little fluff about a hunter and how much he loves his daughter.


**Just a bit of fluff for two of my favorite writers, ladies you know who you are! Hope you enjoy it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD OR ANY OTHER COPY RIGHTED MATERIAL MENTIONED HERE IN. **

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**I Loved Her First**

Today had been a day of wonderment. A day he thought he would have never survived in order to see, but here he was alive and breathing. Silently watching over his baby girl as he stood against the barn wall and kept a visual watch. The end of the world as civilization had once known it had ended over five years ago. Life was slowly working its way into a normal routine. Well what could be normal with the soulless bodies of the undead walking around. Well enough of that, today was the day of great rejoicing.

The wedding ceremony had been nothing short of a fairy tale. The flowers where in bloom the fragrance giving off the sweet smells of roses and lavender that was floating through the air. The air being free of moans and grows from the undead was instead filled with the sounds of crickets and nocturnal animals coming out of their slumber. The moon light was just beginning to shine upon the land; the sun was setting ending its journey for the day. The combination of the two great loves meeting in the sky was reflecting off of the bride. The bride had been dressed in a white flowing gown, the same dress her mother had worn at her their own wedding a couple of years back.

There had been a wedding today, and the silent hunter now stood off to the side watching as the people around him moved away from it. They were taking it down setting up for the reception. The hunter watched the bustle and hustle of his friends and family as they worked to set up their instruments in the reception area around the dance floor. The hunter's eyes followed the bride over to that dance floor. Though the woman in front of him had been the same one he had walked down the aisle today, when he followed her with his eyes now he still saw her as a young girl. Still saw her with her short blond hair up in pigtails carrying around her doll. OH, how time just seemed to fly by so fast. How Daryl almost wished they could rewind that clock and return to the past. A past filled with dancing in the moonlight with his little girl before she grew up and fell in love.

Daryl's baby girl used to beg him to dance with her on those nights the crickets where the loudest and the moon's light was shining its brightest. How she would take his rough callused hands into one of her soft smaller ones and beg him, "Just a few steps daddy. Just one more song daddy, please."

Daryl remembered looking down at his girl then and seeing the blue eyes of her mother, falling hard for that smile on her sweet dimpled freckled nose face. "A'right baby girl, just one though."

The green meadow back on the farm was the first place they had dance. Sure their first dance floor had been a little rough and his little girl had almost sprained her ankle but she had loved the feeling of being free, just as much as his did. With the moonlight on their faces and the stars shining overhead, with no danger in sight, if Daryl was going to be honest with himself, if there was a way to stop time... Daryl would of stopped it at that first dance kept his little girl there by his side. He would of paused it to keep her from growing up, to keep her safe. That had been a different dance floor then, another time he wished he could keep frozen, another moment caught up and swept into his memories.

The dance floor for this occasion had been laid out his own two callused hands. They had worked the ground in which the planks of wood were resting upon. He had been the one to pull the long grasses and roots from the ground. His fingers digging up rocks and filling in holes, taking his time to make sure that the ground was even. Daryl wasn't about to let an uneven surface take away from this day. Today was the day his little girl, not so little no more had proven she was ready to grow up, become a wife. Daryl remembered the moment like it was just yesterday. Watching in front of his eyes as the memories played out, his daughter growing into the form of a graceful swan, like that of her mother.

Daryl's woman his mate his wife was the first woman Daryl had ever grown to love. He thought she always knew though that he loved her. The way their eyes would always meet across the room and the way the two of them would always gravitate toward each other were proof enough at first that he loved her. It took others moving in on his territory before he made that first move though. It had taken him two years of fighting his demons down and holding them at bay to work up the courage to tell her he loved her.

There hadn't been time for "Dating" in this world of theirs. When you found someone you wanted to keep close you had to grab a hold of them and not let go. That's exactly what Daryl had done one night in the guard tower while on watch with her. Sure he had known it back on that farm long before then. Back when he had found their daughter out in the woods and brought her back home to her, that he loved her cared for her, he just didn't know how to inform her.

Daryl was brought out of his thoughts as he watched the small band begin to play the first song, the first song of course belonging to the bride and the groom. The familiar tune from the band heartland filled the air. Beth was standing up there at the head of the band swaying to the music and singing the words. "Look at the two of you dancing that way, lost in the moment." Daryl was watching from his place on the side lines as his little girl was being danced around on that dance floor by her new husband. The look they held on their faces for all who were looking to see was love. They were out on that dance floor he built with his love for her, dancing away in the pale moon light, as though they were alone in the dark of the night. As if there was nobody else in the world. Time stood still for a moment for the silent hunter. Daryl's mind flashing through moments in his history back to the day his little girl had first broken his heart by telling him the news.

_I was enough for her not long ago. "Daddy can you help me string my new bow?" The voice of his not so little girl asked as she walked up behind him carrying the bow he had made for her. "For you any time sweetheart." I was her number one, she told me so then, "Daddy, you know I'll always love you more. Carl asked me to marry him last night, I told him yes, but you're still my number one man. You have been ever since you first found me out in those woods." _

_Daryl had gotten pissed then, kissing his girl on the forehead and giving her the best smile at the time that he could. Even though his heart was breaking inside wondering where the time had gone? When had he given it permission to take wing and fly away? Getting up and leaving her side Daryl walked out of the barn she had found him in while he was feeding the horses. Daryl Dixon was on the hunt for Carl Grimes and he was going to put an arrow in the ass for thinking he could take her away without properly asking him first._

_Daryl walked right on into the Grimes home not even bothering to knock first. The family Grimes home was not far from his own house. Daryl walked inside and took a quick look around. Not finding who he was seeking he stepped outside into the back yard. Upon stepping outside he came across Rick and the man he was looking for. Rick's oldest son Carl they were working at splitting the wood for the winter months that were heading their way.. Daryl was making his way through the yard quickly putting a stop to the distance between him and his prey. "BOY, you best start talken' before I let this arrow loose. Let it fly into your left ass cheek!"_

_"Shit, damnit Carl, didn't you listen to me son? Didn't you ask the man the father first before going and asken his daughter for her hand. I know you know better than that." Rick put his hands up into the air backing away from the two men who were caught up in a staring contest... The look on his sons face was almost comical but at the same time it was killing him. Rick looked over at Daryl his brother in all but blood and noticed the twinkle hidden in his eye. He wasn't here to end his sons life he was here to make his damn point clear and Rick couldn't blame him. Rick blew out the breath he had been holding not being aware of it. "He's all yours brother I'm not getting into the middle of this I warned him, told him to ask you first."_

_Daryl removed his constant companion and handed it over to Rick. The man understanding his intentions with a nod of his head. Daryl took his time walking up to Carl closing the space in-between them. Daryl was in predator mode and he stood there growling with his prey with in sight. Daryl might not have been as young as he once was, but he was going to prove to this boy that you have to do things right. He came at Carl with a right hook and he was proud of the boy when he stood there and took it. Daryl through his fist at him one last time and then took a step back meeting Carl's eyes. _

_"She still means the world to me. Just so you know, so ya best be careful when you hold my girl." Daryl's voice was full of gravel fighting to hold back the growls. He wasn't about to lay into the boy, not when his daughter would give him hell for it but damnit he wasn't just gonna stand by and let him take his baby girl from him._

_"I know I messed up, I'm sorry alright. I don't blame you I admit it I deserve it I should of asked you first. I love her Daryl, always have and I always will. May I have the hand of your oldest daughter? Will you let me? Even if you say no, you know I will." Carl stood there a few inches taller than Daryl. He had blood seeping through a cut in his lip, but he was meeting his eyes. "The little shit!" _

_Daryl was amazed at how time sure changes everything and how Life must go on. Life doesn't stand still no matter how much he wished that it would. He took in a deep cleansing breath helping his body to rid itself of the adrenalin that was still pumping through his veins egging him on at Carl's words. Daryl was the daddy and he would be the one she relied on, not this boy in a man's body. Then again he wasn't about to hurt his little girl by harming his future son in law._

_"You best not harm her. You do and you best be ready for a world of pain. I'm not gonna stand in your way." Daryl plopped his body down onto the stump of the tree Carl had just been cutting wood on._

_"You best sit on down here and listen, I aint gonna be repeating myself." Carl listened and quickly took a seat on the ground his old man walking over with three shot glasses. Rick handed them out and gave Daryl a tip of his head as he stood there and listened._

"I understand that ya love my girl and all but I loved her first. I held her first and no matter what happens even with you marrying her, a place in my heart will always be hers. Now I don't give a shit about not being her daddy by blood, blood doesn't mean shit in this world. From the first breath she breathed, when I found her in that water and pushed life back into her. When she first smiled at me… I knew the love of a father when I saved her, and that kind of a bond runs deep." Daryl couldn't remember a time he had sat down and spoken to this young man for this long before, sure he'd yelled at him for mistakes he had made over the past few years, but never had he sat and just spoken to him.

_Daryl brought the glass Rick had handed over to him up to his lips. Daryl could recognize his home brewed moon shine, Rick must of walked over and grabbed up a bottle. That or his daughter had gone running to his mother and warned her. It sounded like some then his baby girl would do. His wife always knew him the best and made sure Rick had something in hand. "And I did pray that she'd find you someday," Daryl looked up from the glass in his hand to meet the eyes of Carl. Carl was stunned the look there plain on his face as the light of day… "but it's still hard to think of giving her away, but just remember I still loved her first and I won't hesitate to kick your ass around if you hurt her."_

Daryl's mind was shifting through memories as he watched his little girl out there on that dance floor and how he had all most lost her. HIS daughter had been out in the woods lost due to a small herd of walkers and she had been looking for a way to get back to her mother. The poor girl had fallen down a ravine and had ended up hitting her head before she landed face down in lake of mucky water. Daryl was still amazed to this day how he had found her just in the nick of time before that walker could sink its teeth into her shoulder. It had looked to have once been a well fed male and dead for quite some time. The soulless creature had the girl by the arm holding her up out of the water. Her body littered on scrapes scratches and bruises from falling down the side of the ravine, he had been scared then for the first time ever that he hadn't made it in time. That he was too late and couldn't possibly save her. Daryl had managed to send an arrow through the undeads head right before it could sink its teeth into her. Daryl had never performed cpr before but he still gave it a try and was thankful that he had done something right when the small frail child in his arms came awake with a fright. Daryl had looked over her making sure there wasn't any other life threatening problems and then he had carried her all the way back to the farm that night.

Daryl was brought out of his thoughts when the music tempo went through a change. His eyes once more falling upon his daughter dancing out there on that dance floor, just like her mama, she always loved to dance. His eyes went to Carl as he watched him slow stepping with her. "_How could that beautiful woman with you be the same freckle face kid that I knew? The one that I told all those fairy tales to while I carried her back home and tucked into bed all those nights, and I knew the first time I saw you with her. It was only a matter of time_." Daryl sighed.

Daryl came out of his daze watching the couple spinning around when he felt the arms of his wife go around his waist. He silently smiled inside; she was still the only person able to sneak up on him. Even after all these years she was the best part of him. "Look at them out there; think that they'll make it?"

"If a hunter could survive in this world of ours to catch himself a mate, and still have her clinging to him. Then yes baby, he'll watch over her keep her safe. She'll do the same, just like you taught her. I love you, it's your turn to dance with our girl, you, are her daddy, go on before they drag you out on to the floor." Daryl's woman, his wife mother to his three children, gave his waist a quick squeeze before pushing him out onto the dance floor for the father and daughter dance.

Daryl with his head held high and emotions in checked walked out there to join his baby girl out on the floor. His mind screaming at him that it would be the last time he'd get to hold her… "No it aint," he yelled right back at it pushing it down.

"May I have this dance baby girl?" Daryl asked as he swept the bride up into his arms. Amazed at how much she had changed from the very first time he had done this.

"Of course you can daddy. I love you, you're my number one dance partner you know that right." Daryl heart was breaking and dancing all at the same time. His baby girls blue eyes were staring up at him just like her mother's did when she was holding back tears. His baby girl was refusing to cry.

Daryl bent forward and placed a kiss to her head. He tightened his arms around her and started to take small steps to get them moving once again. "No matter how big you think your britches may be, even when ya got kids of your own someday. Best be not for a while you hear me missy… I've known since you first smiled at me, and that baby girl will never change. You're my miracle and ya always will be." Daryl whispered into his little girl's ear as a tear traveled down his face. "I'll love you forever Sophia, You'll always be my little girl."


End file.
